French soccer legend Emmanuel Petit has publicly condemned the arson and looting that has swept through French cities over the past weekend, as more than 2,400 people have been arrested nationwide.
The 1998 World Cup winner posted a message to Instagram on Sunday expressing what he called his “profound deep anger” after protests over school policy and the cost of living escalated into widespread street violence. Cars were set on fire, store windows smashed, and riot police used tear gas against masked groups in both Paris and Marseille.
President Emmanuel Macron has said the unrest has left him feeling “both anger and shame.”
Petit, the former Arsenal midfielder, did not hold back when describing those responsible for the destruction.
“It’s thugs because their cowardice is what unites them. They destroy everything, they burn everything, they break everything, they plunder, they steal, they hurt, they aggress, they insult.”
He drew a sharp line between the rioters and the people who took part in Sunday’s protests over the economic pressures facing ordinary French families.
“You shouldn’t mix up the people who manifested yesterday, and I understand them strongly because I too am more than fed up of being pressed like a lemon on a fiscal plan.”
Petit also addressed immigration directly, saying he welcomed foreigners who want to live in and respect France, but had a different message for those taking part in the unrest.
“I love my country, I love all foreigners who love my country and who want to integrate. But all the others, starting with the French who do not wish precisely that France continues to be what it is, go back from where you came, we don’t need you.”
He extended that warning to native-born citizens involved in the violence as well, saying: “And all those who were born with a French passport, break yourselves [get lost], we don’t want you anymore.”
Petit then turned his attention to Macron and the country’s political establishment, calling on them to act to protect law-abiding citizens.
“I’m addressing the political class, starting with our dear president, Mr. Macron, and all the political classes. To all these people, I have a message to give you: be very careful about what you are going to do, what you are going to say, and how you are going to protect the honest citizens in France.”
He closed his remarks by criticizing what he described as a government that taxes heavily while underfunding essential public services.
“Because today, there’s no money for the police, there’s no money for the army, there’s no money for the hospitals, there’s no money for the schools. Bizarrely, the only thing that works in France, is taxes.”
